Futures Peek Out from Beneath the Rubble; Financials Rising

By Avi Salzman

Stock futures rebounded slightly after the major indexes saw their biggest declines of the year on Wednesday as voters replaced a bitterly divided government with…a bitterly divided government.

Jobless claims fell to 355,000 from 363,000, a better result than expected. The numbers were affected by Hurricane Sandy, which could make them an imperfect gauge for the next few weeks. The trade gap narrowed by 5.1% to $41.5 billion as exports rose 3.1% and imports rose 1.1%. European stocks are trading higher as the ECB and Bank of Angladn maintained their current policies, but stocks have trimmed gains somewhat as ECB President Mario Draghi speaks about European policy.

Dow futures rose 36 points; S&P 500 futures rose 3.5 points.

Financial stocks, which got pummeled on Wednesday, were rebounding in pre-market trading. JPMorgan Chase (JPM) rose 2% after getting approval to buy back up to $3 billion in stock.

Whole Foods (WFM) fell 2.7% after reporting revenue and earning in line with expectations, and raising its dividend. Comparable store sales in this quarter appear to have decelerated.

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Earnings reports, corporate strategies and analyst insights are all part of what moves stocks, and they’re all covered by the Stocks to Watch blog. We also look at macro issues, investor sentiments and hidden trends that are affecting the market. Stocks to Watch gives you the full picture of the U.S. stock markets, all day long.

The blog is written by Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader who has covered financial markets for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.